The Importance of Being Earnest
Oscar Wilde
Jan 1899 · L. Smithers and Company
4.0star
6.76K reviewsreport
Ebook
151
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About this ebook
Subtitled “A Trivial Comedy for Serious People,” Wilde’s play is a brilliantly satirical comedy of manners, sending up the absurdity of Victorian social mores and cleverly critiquing the conventions of love and marriage. The tale of two gentlemen who adopt fictitious identities in order to woo the objects of their affections is Wilde’s most beloved work, considered to be one of the wittiest plays ever written in English. The glowing critical reception in London on opening night at the St. James Theater in 1895 marked the high point of Wilde’s career as a writer.
Ratings and reviews
4.0
6.76K reviews
A Google user
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February 17, 2012
I read this play a while back, actually back in high school. It caught my attention here because it is one of my favorite books, or plays whichever you choose to call it. The characters, while a bit static, more like caricatures of people really, are hilarious and one can tell that they were crafted by a witty mind. The plot twists are a little obvious, but surprising none the less. Lady Bracknell is my favorite character, being the epitome of a stuffy, upper class British woman. I honestly can say that although I was forced to read this book in a high school AP class, which would turn anyone off such a fine piece of literature, I highly recommend this book to anyone, as it is a fantastic read.
David Hill
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May 29, 2014
While some of the humor requires modern readers to know just a touch of history, much of the humor is timeless. Wilde's wit can be subtle at times, but slight attention to the words he chose makes the work all the more rich. Given a choice between The Importance of Being Earnest and seeing a top rated contemporary comedy movie, I'd choose Wilde for the intellectual humor. This single play is funnier to me than most comedies I've seen.
Robert Mills
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September 29, 2014
I would very much like to see this on stage. Just laughs and laughs. Each line carefully crafted w/ a twist. Read it over two days (it's 160 pages in play format) and loved the tongue and cheek comments. Not sure how I missed this one in high school
About the author
Oscar Wilde, a writer remembered for his sharp wit and biting social satire, was born in Dublin in 1854. His natural ease with language was further honed at Oxford, where he studied classics. At the height of his fame, following the London premiere of his play The Importance of Being Earnest, Wilde was charged with “gross indecency” for his homosexuality and imprisoned for two years. He then abandoned England for Paris, where he lived until his death in 1900.
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